Left Alive

Left Alive feels like a Stealth game but it is not exactly a full on Stealth as you might expect. For one it lacks any major Stealth Takedown mechanics. The best way to describe this game is it is more of an actual Survival action game with stealth elements added in.

The game relies a lot on your ability to craft certain traps and explosives. Your inventory and tools are your best friend within this game and thus due to this the game can feel like a huge grind and on top of that it requires a lot of patience and does not hold your hand. It is also rather unforgiving if you happen to mess something up.

The overall story is okay and it is nice to be able to have multiple different endings and the option to chose different dialogue options. It helps keep the story from getting stale and gives you more flexibility rather than feeling somewhat linear.

The animations can feel clunky but is overall okay and can get used to over time. So this is probably not too much of an overall issue.

You control 3 different characters all with their own unique backgrounds. All of which can share inventory too, thanks to Items Boxes that are sometimes scattered around the maps. This is not exactly required but can be good as materials for specific craft able items can be scarce.

The AI that aids you in battle can get rather annoying as it constantly blurts out the exact same message all of the time, thus granting you with an endless headache. A few more added lines of dialogue would of been great instead of it having to repeat itself, yes I heard you the last 4594898 times AI I know the enemy is approaching. It honestly felt like I had a broken record installed within me that I unfortunately could not turn off, or more to the point the AI actually has its uses it is just a shame the dialogue it has been given feels like it has the repeat button forever switched on and there is little you can do about it.

​The game does have some optional side missions which can also get rather boring and dull too. These side missions are usually consisting of Survivors needing to be rescued. The only issue is the fact that each time you confront a Survivor they usually require the same method to encourage them to escape. It is also rather difficult to control them too as they will often run off and into enemy territory if you’re not careful. You can tell them to stop moving in hopes of preventing this from happening but unless you manage to keep up with them, it is almost impossible to do this due to the fact the button prompts to stop them will not show unless your practically sat on top of them.

OVERALL:

This game was not as expected. We where hoping for a more stealth type game such as Metal Gear Solid, it was even mentioned to be just like it with Mechanical Machines and such but it is not like a Metal Gear game at all.

The best way to describe it is to compare it to possibly Splinter Cell for the Stealth part of the game and Gears Of War for its action aspect.

It is a tough game that we unfortunately found we did not have patience for. Though, it can provide a great challenge it is rather a big grind in order to complete and even worse if you intend to get 100% completion.

PROS:

+ It provides a great challenge for those that enjoy that kind of game. It has a big grind and difficulty curve, even playing on the Easier Difficulty felt tough.

+ The music is good and pleasing to the ear.

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CONS:

+ The combat feels unfair with no stealth takedown mechanics and no weapon can eliminate the foe with much ease. You have to really rely a lot on Crafting items and collecting materials to Craft. It is also really easy to run out of materials and ammo, so do not go in expecting to shoot your way through each mission. It is also really easy to get a Game Over screen as your health depletes really quick whilst the enemies does unfortunately not.

+ The Survivor optional missions are boring with no real reason to rescue them, you are not rewarded with anything in the way of materials or ammo and they can be more of a burden than anything else.

+ The overall grind to complete each mission just feels unnecessary and too much, it really requires a lot of patience.